Beginners Guide to Connecting Cables. VGA Vs HDMI.

“Is your laptop HDMI or VGA compatible?” Honestly, before I started working at the function centre, I had no idea what that meant. It just sounds like a bunch of random letters someone has put together to try and confuse me.

But, it simply means does your computer have this port or this port

By knowing this we can make sure your laptop will hook up to our data projector and give you the quality you are looking for.

Sometimes your decision will be simple; maybe your laptop only has the one port.
But in case you have both and have to make a decision quick smart, here is the rundown of the two.

VGA or Video Graphics Array.

VGA is usually only for computers, as it has a pretty standard resolution of 640 x 480, but that’s fine for us because that’s what we are using it for. This resolution is due to the fact that it runs on an analogue signal rather than digital. This means it takes the digital image, turns it into analogue form so it can be sent down the cord and at the other end turn in back into a digital image. Which is impressive but it does weaken our picture quality. As the name suggests, this cord only sends graphics so if you require sound, you will also need an AUX cable. Despite being slightly outdated, VGA is still featured on a lot of newer laptops as it’s the closest thing the computer and display market has as a standard, worldwide.

HDMI or High Definition Multimedia Interface.

Your HDMI cable has it all in one, image and sound. This cord is also much, much newer than the VGA and so with all our advancing technology we are able to have a cord that uses a digital signal rather than having to have all that changing from digital to analogue and back again. Due to using the digital signal, this means that we get HD quality picture, with the resolution more than doubling VGA to be 1920 x 1200 pixels.

I personally prefer the HDMI cord for the better picture quality and the fact that you don’t have to mess around with multiple cords.

But what if your laptop doesn’t have either HDMI or VGA ports?

If you have a Mac or a slim laptop, you may not even have these options but that doesn’t mean you can’t have your presentation.

But how, you ask?

The solution is a converter.

This is an adapter that you plug into your laptop, from whatever port you have, and the other end is either HDMI or VGA.

You can pick these up from stores like JB Hi-Fi, Jaycar Electronics, Ebay or you can see if you can save yourself a couple of bucks and call the function centre prior to your event and see if we have one that is compatible with your laptop.

Regardless of your compatibilities, there are plenty of options available and with our friendly, knowledgeable staff and can do attitudes we will work with you to find the one that suits you best.